Shopping carts are used at stores and malls throughout the United States and the world. Shopping carts come in various sizes and styles. Shopping carts assist shoppers who intend to purchase either a heavy item or a multitude of items. Shopping carts may have a basket supported by a wheeled base. A shopper may control the shopping cart by pushing upon a handle connected to either the basket or the wheeled base. The shopper may then use the cart to move any contents within the basket with a minimum of effort.
A shopper may obtain a shopping cart upon entry of a store or shopping center. The shopper may use the shopping cart for the duration of the shopping experience. Items which the shopper intends to purchase may be temporarily placed into the basket. After purchasing any selected items, the items may be bagged and then returned to the shopping cart. The user may then wheel the purchased items to a car parked in a parking lot adjacent to the store or shopping center. The shopper may then transfer the purchased items from the shopping cart and into the car. The empty shopping cart may then be abandoned in the parking lot. Often, an area is reserved for abandoned shopping carts.
Shopping carts may be designed to nest so as to permit a train of carts to be joined together. A store employee may return abandoned shopping carts from the parking lot to the store or shopping center.